Why Cloud Skills Are a Must

It’s a good idea to get in the know now when it comes to cloud computing and its current (or planned) integration into the workplace.

Because, like most workplace scenarios, the more you know, the more value you place on yourself and, as a result, the more secure your job becomes.

If implementing and maintaining a cloud system seems beyond your comfort zone, take comfort in the fact that there are helpful resources to give you a solid cloud education, such as Rackspace’s Cloud University. And now is the time to learn — because the cloud is changing not only how businesses access applications and provide services to their customers. It’s changing the way they view their own employees, according to a recent report.

With the impact of cloud computing on data access and the availability of cloud storage, job descriptions are also undergoing change as businesses move to the cloud. This change not only is transforming IT departments but also the company as a whole. IT workers are now expected to search for cost-effective cloud computing applications, according to an article on CloudTimes.org.

As more businesses trek to the cloud, there will be a growing need for top cloud jobs such as cloud architect, cloud network engineer, cloud software engineer, cloud consultant, cloud systems administrator, cloud developer, cloud engineer, cloud sales executive, and cloud software engineer. Whew.

Skills required for these jobs include vision and innovation skills; project management, leadership and business communication skills; negotiating and supplier relationship skills; planning, analysis, and business architectural skills; and technical proficiency.

Because cloud computing provides a new way of doing business, it is important for a cloud computing professional to fully understand how to tap cloud computing to run the enterprise. Cloud platforms must be simulated in order to find out if the cloud service meets the needs of the company.

A cloud computing professional must be able to negotiate with cloud vendors with the company’s interests in mind. He must be able to raise questions about intellectual property rights, physical location, data availability, service level agreements, and service interruptions. Planning is also important because the cloud professional is expected to create a road map for cloud implementations within the company.

Rackspace Cloud University, known as CloudU, can help.

CloudU is a vendor-neutral, cloud education curriculum designed to help people learn more about the cloud. Even after you’ve earned a CloudU Certificate, the program offers many reasons to come back often for more videos, whitepapers, podcasts and webinars about the most interesting topics in the cloud.

CloudU seeks to provide a comprehensive curriculum of cloud computing fundamentals for business owners and IT professionals.

CloudU is a curriculum designed for business owners and technical professionals who want to boost their knowledge of the fundamentals of cloud computing. By completing all 10 CloudU lessons and sitting for a final online exam, professionals can earn a CloudU Certificate demonstrating their command of the most important topics in cloud computing.

Patrick Burke is a writer and editor based in the greater New York area and occasionally blogs for Rackspace Hosting